The show is best noted for its live episodes, which consist of the host painting while he runs on a treadmill; in addition, he sometimes takes calls from viewers, cooks food, plays ping pong, or makes blended drinks.[2] The show's episode titles typically reflect whatever tasks are being undertaken, for example, Let's Paint, Exercise, and Play Ping Pong.

Let's Paint TV was originally broadcast on Los AngelesPublic-access televisioncable TV from 2002 through 2008; after the LA public access studios were shut down in early 2008, the show transitioned to being an online-only program. The program began receiving world-wide attention in 2006 when Kilduff began uploading video clips of his show to YouTube.[3][4]

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John Kilduff conceived the idea for Let's Paint TV while working a different comedy Public-access show. He was waiting for a Saddam Husseinimpersonator to arrive, and began thinking about his "exercise bike in the storage room, and I thought visually painting on an exercise bike could be interesting."[5] He eventually decided that a treadmill would be more feasible for painting than an exercise bike.[5]

John Kilduff claims his aim with the series is to make people of all skill levels try their hand at painting or other forms of creative self-expression. Kilduff frequently encourages viewers to use very large brushes in order to cover the canvas as quickly as possible before worrying about details, as he feels an empty canvas can be very intimidating to novices.

Although Kilduff says that show is meant to inspire creativity in others, many of the callers he gets tend not to take him seriously. As the show was once on Public-access TV, and is now on the internet, there is little to no censoring. The show also lacks caller screening. Many take advantage of this by expressing prejudice, cursing, accosting members of the show, and making derogatory comments about rival gangs. Despite the overwhelming number of prank callers, John generally continues to take calls.

The sight of an artist simultaneously jogging, painting, blending drinks and chatting to guests and painting live models has led some to speculate that the whole show is an ironic piece of performance art. Kilduff denies this and states that he is completely sincere in trying to encourage people to do something creative.[6]

Let's Paint TV became more widely known in late 2006 when Kilduff began uploading recordings of episodes to the online video service YouTube, where it has since become a cult hit and increased his live show's viewership.[3]

LA Weekly warmly reviewed the show, saying that "it jettisons the inverse snobbery of the Bob Ross tradition, assuming a sophisticated audience informed by the inescapable influence of Modernism and the indeterminate sincerity of post–Saturday Night Live television. It turns out Let’s Paint TV is indeed a clever parody of Bob Ross and company, but — like so much parody, from Don Quixote to the novelty music of Spike Jones — this one turns out to be better art than that at which it pokes fun."[6]

CBS's Mancave Daily, using images of Kilduff throughout their article, spoke about Let's Paint TV and wrote, "it displays all that is wrong and entertaining about public access television".[8] In revisiting Kilduff in 2014, they examined his broadcasting on YouTube and Stickam and his use of a treadmill for his multi-tasking, and observed "If this isn’t the epitome of public access television, I don’t know what is".[9]

LA Weekly notes that during most episodes of Let's Paint TV, Kilduff wears "his trademark crumpled and paint-stained Brooks Brothers suit."[13] In order to avoid working a day job, Kilduff sells many of his paintings at art fairs around California.[13] He has appeared at several art shows throughout Southern California, often running on his treadmill, painting, and doing various other activities while museum patrons look on.[14]